GTA: Two dead, more than 160,000 without power due to extreme weather

A man, 28, died in Milton after a tree fell on him, Halton police said. Another has died in Hamilton after being electrocuted by downed power lines. An evening of high winds left many in the GTA without power and all transportation networks compomised

A man died in Milton when a tree fell on him as high winds and thunderstorms wrought chaos across the GTA, disrupting power and transportation.
Winds up to 110 km/h caused the tree to fall on two men, ages 28 and 18, who were clearing trees near 20 Side Rd. and 4th Line in the Halton Hills area, Halton police said.
The 28-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene. The 18-year-old was rushed to Hamilton General Hospital with critical injuries.
Paramedics in Hamilton found a man in his 50s without vital signs under downed power lines. He was pronounced dead after hydro was shut off and they were able to reach him. Witnesses told police the man had been trying to clear wires from the roadway.

A branch fell into Alton Ave. near Queen and Dundas Sts.  (Randy Risling / Toronto Star)

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The severe weather put the GTA at a standstill on Friday evening. Environment Canada’s earlier warning said wind gusts up to 110 km/h caused damage throughout the region.
Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily suspended all flights because of the weather. Some delays were still expected as regular operations resumed.

A Toronto Hydro spokesperson told the Star that more than 68,000 people experienced power outages, mainly because of trees that had brought down hydro poles and wires. The public was advised to be mindful of fallen wires and to report any wires and damage to 911 and Toronto Hydro.
Alectra, the electricity utility for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, tweeted that it had close to 100,000 customers without power due to downed power lines and poles.

A man struggles to nail down shingles that were peeled away from his roof by high winds on Dearham Wood, along the Scarborough Bluffs.  (Jack Lakey / Toronto Star)

Hydro One reported power was out for more than 160,000 customers throughout southern and central Ontario due to both winds and thunderstorms. Crews were mobilized throughout Toronto and the GTA, with additional crews responding to the hardest hit areas.
Public transportation is affected throughout the region as well. A Metrolinx spokesperson, Vanessa Barrasa, said the entire train network was affected.

“There are power outages throughout our entire network,” Barrasa said. “There are trees blocking lines, and many of the crossings aren’t working, so the trains can’t switch tracks. The UP Express is completely halted.”
Barrasa said Metrolinx, the TTC and regional emergency services were working to try to fix the situation, but it was not known when train service would be up and running fully again.

A downed sign lies on a car following a wind storm on Dundas St. West near Prince Edward Dr. in Etobicoke.  (Moira Welsh / Toronto Star)

Anne Marie Aikins, another Metrolinx spokesperson, had tweeted that a UP Express glass panel at Pearson was smashed.
In Richmond Hill, reports showed eight hydro poles down on Bayview Ave., south of St. Johns Sideroad.
Toronto police blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Church St. between Dundas St. and Gould St. and also initially closed High Park, due to the extreme winds, before later reopening it.
Members of the public posted videos on Twitter of construction cranes spinning wildly in the wind.
The OPP closed the Burlington Skyway bridge in both directions because of the winds, but it, too, reopened as the winds died down.

A metal awning was blown off a convenience store at Bloor and Dovercourt by high winds.

Hamilton police blocked pedestrian access to a sidewalk on a downtown thoroughfare after a large chunk of siding was ripped off the side of a building. Several poles and wires were down as well.
Just after 4 p.m., a man was struck by a metal awning blown off a convenience store at Bloor and Dovercourt by high winds.
Michael Ianni said he was walking out of the store with his friend when they heard a loud noise and saw the awning start to fall. They moved to avoid it, but saw it fall on the man behind them.
Paramedics said they responded to a call at that location and transported a man in his thirties, who sustained minor injuries, to a local hospital.
Environment Canada cancelled its wind warning for Toronto just after 9 p.m.
With files from the Richmond Hill Liberal and The Hamilton Spectator